The ITA acknowledges the decision issued by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on former IWF official
THE INTERNATIONAL TESTING AGENCY (ITA) ACKNOWLEDGES THE AWARD ISSUED BY THE COURT OF ARBITRATION FOR SPORT (CAS) ON 18 JANUARY 2024 RULING THAT THE CONDUCT OF HASAN AKKUS, FORMER TURKISH WEIGHTLIFTING FEDERATION (TWF) PRESIDENT, FORMER EUROPEAN WEIGHTLIFTING FEDERATION (EWF) PRESIDENT AND FORMER INTERNATIONAL WEIGHTLIFTING FEDERATION (IWF) VICE-PRESIDENT WAS “DECEPTIVE AND REPREHENSIBLE AND […] PRONE TO CREATE SEVERE DAMAGE TO THE FEDERATIONS WHICH HAD ENTRUSTED HIM WITH TOP-LEVEL POSITIONS” BUT THAT SUCH CONDUCT DOES NOT AMOUNT TO AN ANTI-DOPING RULE VIOLATION. THE ITA WELCOMES THE IWF’S DECISION TO CHALLENGE THE CAS DECISION BEFORE THE SWISS FEDERAL TRIBUNAL.
The case against Mr. Akkus was brought forward by the ITA, on behalf of the IWF, following its investigation into a series of allegations of misconduct by some IWF Officials in June 2021. This investigation led to the life bans against former IWF President, Tamas Ajan, and Vice President, Nicu Vlad.
Following disciplinary proceedings before the Anti-Doping Division of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS ADD), on 3 January 2023, the CAS ADD ruled that in 2013, Mr. Akkus tampered with the results management of 21 anti-doping rule violations committed by Turkish Weightlifters by providing false documents and therefore avoided sanctions against the TWF which he presided at the time. Mr. Akkus was sanctioned with a four-year period of Ineligibility.
Mr. Akkus appealed the CAS ADD decision before the CAS appeal division and a hearing took place on 22 August 2023.
On 18 January 2024, the CAS confirmed that “Mr. Akkus engaged in improper conduct” which included the backdating of letters and the production of documents containing falsified metadata through which “Mr. Akkus brought ‘improper influence to bear’ and prevented ‘normal procedures’ within the IWF from occurring”. The Panel further ruled that “the TWF and (potentially) Mr. Akkus himself faced a realistic risk of sanctions being imposed against them by the IWF on account of the TWF’s non-compliance with its anti-doping responsibilities. The Panel is also convinced, and concurs with the Appealed Decision, that Mr. Akkus’ improper actions had the eventual goal to avoid such negative consequences.”
Finally, the Panel found that Mr. Akkus’ “conduct was deceptive and reprehensible, and in any event prone to create severe damage to the federations which had entrusted him with top-level positions and the power to represent them in public.” However, CAS found that Mr Akkus’ behaviour could not be qualified as an anti-doping rule violation for tampering based on a “strict legal interpretation of such rule” and other legal technicalities; more specifically that Mr. Akkus was found to no longer be subject to the IWF Regulations when providing falsified documents to the ITA.
The IWF has now requested the annulment of the CAS decision before the Swiss Federal Tribunal. The ITA will not comment further on this matter until these proceedings conclude.
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